Ronald Goldman

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Ronald Goldman
Ron Goldman, early 1990s
Born	July 2, 1968 Cook County, Illinois
Died	June 12, 1994(1994-06-12) (aged 25) Los Angeles, California
Cause of death	Murder
Resting place	Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Other names	Ron Goldman (commonly known as)
Education	Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Alma mater	Illinois State University, Los Angeles Pierce College
Occupation	Waiter
Known for	O. J. Simpson murder trial (victim)
Home town	Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Religion	Jewish
Parents	Fred Goldman, Sharon (née Rufo) Goldman

Ronald Lyle "Ron" Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was an American waiter and an aspiring model. He was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson allegedly by her former husband O. J. Simpson, an actor and retired American football player. The subsequent criminal investigation and trial against O. J. Simpson was described as the "trial of the century." Although he was later held liable for Goldman's death and that of his ex-wife in a 1997 civil trial, Simpson was acquitted of the murders in the previous criminal trial.

Early life

Goldman grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. His parents divorced when he was six and he was then raised by his father, Fred Goldman. His mother was Sharon (nèe Rufo) Goldman. Goldman grew up Jewish.^[1][2]

He attended high school at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He was a student at Illinois State University for one semester and a pledge to Sigma Nu fraternity before he moved with his family to California. While living in Los Angeles, he attended Pierce College. He had been supporting himself by working as a waiter and tennis instructor. According to a book authored by some of his family members, titled His Name is Ron, before working at the restaurant Mezzaluna, Goldman worked with cerebral palsy patients. He was also an avid Karate practitioner, achieving a 3rd degree black belt in the discipline. Goldman was a contestant on the short-lived game show Studs in 1992. Goldman had also doodled plans for a bar and restaurant to be named ANKH, after the Egyptian religious symbol.

Death

At the time of his murder, Goldman was working as a waiter at Mezzaluna Trattoria, a restaurant located at 11750 San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles. Nicole Brown Simpson, a friend of Goldman and the ex-wife of O. J. Simpson, had called to report that her mother Juditha Brown had accidentally left her eyeglasses on the table. After a quick search, they were discovered in the gutter outside the restaurant. Although Goldman had not served Nicole's table, he agreed to take them to her home after work. Some authors, including Gerry Spence and the LAPD detective, Mark Fuhrman, have cited this fact as evidence that Simpson and Goldman were lovers. Goldman told friends that he was just friends with Simpson.^[3]

Before returning the eyeglasses, Goldman stopped at his apartment, located at 11663 Gorham Avenue in Brentwood, to change clothes and possibly take a shower. When he arrived at Nicole's located at 875 South Bundy Drive, he was murdered along with Simpson on the walkway leading to the residence, just a few weeks shy of his 26th birthday. During a reconstruction of the events, police believe he had arrived during or shortly after the murder of Simpson and was stabbed to death in the process.

O. J. Simpson was charged and tried for both the murders of Goldman and his ex-wife. In October 1995, after a public trial that lasted nearly nine months, Simpson was found not guilty of both murders. In a 1997 civil trial, a jury found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of Goldman and awarded $33 million (USD) in damages to the Goldman family.

Goldman is buried at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.^[4]

Simpson book

The rights to O. J. Simpson's book, If I Did It, a first-person account of how he would have committed the murders had he committed them, were awarded to the Goldman family in August 2007. The family was granted the proceeds from the book in 2007 as part of the $33.5 million civil juryaward against the ex-football star they have been trying to collect for over a decade. The Goldmans own the copyright, media rights and movie rights.^[5]

They also acquired Simpson's name, likeness, life story and right of publicity in connection with the book, according to court documents. After renaming the book to If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, the Goldmans published it in September 2007 through Beaufort Books. Within days of its release the book became a bestseller, ensuring Simpson would not be able to profit from the book.

Foundation

The Goldman family contributed a portion of proceeds from the If I Did It book sale to the newly-founded Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice.^[6] The foundation provides grants for multiple organizations and programs that provide resources to victims and survivors of violent crimes.^[7]

See also

• O. J. Simpson murder case

References

External links

• RememberRon.net
• Court TV Online – Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman murders
• Ron Goldman Autopsy Report
• Ronald Goldman at Find a Grave